Preservation of flags.



I. RIVES.

.PRESERVATION (-)F FLAGS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8.!914.

Patented Aug. 13, 1918.

B. C e Mum/tofu GP Jam. JM www v l. RIVES.

PRESERVATION OF FLAGS.

APPLxcATIoN -msn JULY 8.1914

1,275,603. Parentedug. 13,1918,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

i g SHI mntoz atroz/mugs ISABEL RIVES, 0F WASVHINGTON, DISTRICT OIF COLUMBIA.

PRESERVATION OF FLAGS.

Application filed July 8, 1914. Serial No. 849,797.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ISABEL RIVES, a citizen of the United States, resident of VVa-shington in the District of Columbia, have made a certain new and useful Invention in the Preservation of Flags; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The invention has relation mainly to thek 1 is a front or face view of a flag having the invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a reverse view of the same, showing the backing; Fig. 8 is a front or face view of a portion of a flag much worn and showing the longer stitches overlapping to hold the worn arts to the hacking, and Fig. 4 is a rear ragmentary view, showing the longer stitches appearing upon the backing in curved line formation.

In these drawings the numeral 1 designatcsa flag, wherein appear stripes in red and white, and a blue field.

folds in that direction, and then a long stitchv 5 in another direction at an acute angle with the first stitch, to flatten out the material in such direction, these long stitches running in zig-zag manner along the Hag, each two l stitches crossing at their ends and having between and connecting thesame a short catch stitch 6', located upon the reverse face of the iiag, said short stitch serving toitie or Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Aug. 13, 1918.

heid um mami fiat at the @mi of each long stitch, `which binds the material of the flag down Yin usual or `normal position. And in-k asmuch as in this basting a longstitchis used, the lines of stitches covering substantially the entire face of the flag, the inatcrial thereof is effectually attened to original or normal position and is held in this position to the backing.

It is found in practice that it is necessary, to attain good or the best results, to work from the bottom edge of the flag upwardly,

in order to properly Hatten out the folds or creases, which arey of more marked character near the lower edge of the flag and near k the pole edge thereof.

The basting of the flag tothe backing being completed, the permanent stitches are now taken, said permanent stitches being of the same character or type but shorter or smaller than the basting stitches, and in many cases spaced apart from each other, line for line, depending upon the condition of the fiag, which varies according to age, material and exposure. These. permanent stitches have the same reference characters applied thereto as havethe basting stitches, but without exponents.

If the flag is in fairly good condition the basting may be confined to parts,` or omitted,` and the stitches are run alongv or across the flag in lines two orvthree inches apart, the diagonal or Zigszag longer stitches being on the backing of the flag and the'short catch stitches only upon the front faceof the flag, so thatthe iiguresor stripes, or whatever design theflag may consist of, shall not be hidden nor changed to any visibleV extent.

And inasmuch asit is designed that thev color of the thread used shall vary according `to Vthe color of the stripe, figure or field, it

will be readily apparent that the result attained is such that the flag will bear close inspection before any stitches can be seen. The cat stitch allows the line of stitches to be worked either transversely or longitudinally of the Hag, or obliquely or angularly, or in arcuate or circular manner, according to the requirements. At the end of each admits also of being made different lengths, to accord with requirement-s of particular cases.

In ags that are very old or much worn, it is found desirable to use the longer. stitches l and 5 upon the front face of the flag, and to follow the first line of stitches with another line or lines immediately adjacent to the same, to hold alleparts: ofthe worn material to the backing and prevent any part being blown away. But inasmuch` as the thread used is of the same color as that ofthe stripe, figure or design being workedup,on,.the stitches are not visible.

#except .upon closey inspectionsk short catch stitch to tie and' hold all parts of 1 the flag so flattened in original or normal position, said alternating. long stitches beinginade from the lower edge'of'y they flag toward ythe upper edgethereof, and secondly, securingal-l parts of the flag to said backing sheet by alternating permanent stitches made first in one direction and then in another direction in staggered manner, and a vshort catch stitch between and connecting each two adjacent longer stitches.

2. A method of preserving old flags, consisting in first vbasting all parts of the flag to a backing sheet by alternating vlong stitches made first in one direction and then in another direction insta-ggered manner to flatten andl spread all parts of the flag to original or normal position, and between each two adjacent of said stitches making a short catchstitch to tie and hold all parts 'of-the flag so fiattenedin original or normalE position, secondly, securin-g'all parts of' the flag to the backing sheet by alternating per'- manent stitches made first in one direction andfthenainanother direction in staggered relation, and a short catch stitch between and connecting each two adjacent longer stitches, the permanent stitches being made of different colored threads according to the color of the figure, design or field.

3. .A method of preserving old fiags, consisting in first basting all parts of' the flag to a. backing sheet by alternating long stitchesmadeffirst-in one direction and then in another direction in staggered manner to flatten and spread-allpartsof the flag to original vor normal position', and between each two .adjacentof said stitches making a short catchustitch to tie `and hold all parts of the flag so flattened, secondly, securing allv parts of"thc` flag solflattenedI by alternating permanent stitches made,l firstV in yone directionandthen in another direction in staggeredmanner, andy a short catch stitch between l and connecting each two adjacent longer stitches, the permanentstitches being made of' dilferentucolored threads, according tothe color of theunderlyin g design or field, the thread. of different color being started at the precise terminationy of the thread of discontinued color.

4. A restored flag, having. a backing sheet of'y about the same sizeV as the Hag, and alternating long stitches made first in one direction and then in another direction in staggeredrelation, and a short catch stitch between each two adjacent longer stitches to connect the flag to the backing sheet, the

stitches beingl made of different colored threads accordingtto the color of the underlying design or field, the short stitches apf pearingmainly upon the front face of the flag and the longer stitches upon the backin-g, the more delicate or worn' parts of the flag having the longer stitches upon the front face thereof in lines closetogether and overlapping toV hold the worn material to the backing sheet.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ISABEL RIVES. lVitnesses:

ALICE M; READING, R.- -Wi READING.

Gbpesv ci this patent may be obtainedfor five cents eaeh',-`tr y` addressing the Commissioner of latentsj Washington, 11,0. 

